"LISTEN UP!" A dark haired man stood at the edge of the roof the initiates had just landed on after jumping from the moving train. Skylar dusted off her black jeans that now sported several holes around the knees and one in her thigh.

The initiates gathered around the man who introduced himself as Four, then explained that he was their trainer. He then proceeded to tell them that the only way into Dauntless was to jump off of the roof, which had earned him more than a few remarks from not just Candor transfers, but a few of the Dauntless-born.

Skylar had barely spoken to anyone on the train, but a dark haired Dauntless-born had spent the entire ride stealing glances at her. At multiple times had looked like he'd wanted to speak to her, but had held back. Probably because of the bleach-blonde haired girl with a pixie cut that had nearly been sitting on his lap throughout the entire train ride.

That same boy was now at the front of the group, standing proudly next to his friend, he raised his hands offering to jump first. Skylar narrowed her eyes as she watched him march to the side of the ledge, climb on, and look over it.

"Any day now Alec!" Four told him and folded his arms.

Alec shrugged then tossed himself over the ledge. Skylar realized quickly that if this Dauntless-born was so willing to jump; then there was nothing to be afraid of.

"I'm next," she shouted and raised her hands. She grinned as she walked past the not-so-smug-looking blonde. She seemed to be petrified of the idea that she was expected to jump yet again.

Much like the cut of the knife Skylar had made that let her leave Candor, she fell backward over the edge that would allow her to enter Dauntless in the same manner; with no hesitation. This time, however, instead of feeling numb, her heart pounded in her chest as she screamed.

"Ooomph!" She felt the air leave her chest as she slammed into the net that was at the bottom. As she stared at the hole in the ceiling stories above her, she started laughing. She stopped when she felt a tug and rolled to the edge of the net and just about fell into the arms of a hulking Dauntless man. He stopped her before she fell and asked for her name.

"Second jumper, Skylar!"

Skylar looked over the shoulder at the crowd of Dauntless that cheered loudly, she his hand's hesitation on her waist as he let her down from the net. She ignored him again when he spoke to her, "see you around gorgeous."

Her eyes scanned the crowd for her brothers, but her heart sank when she didn't see them.

She let out a huff as she walked to the edge of the crown and folded her arms, she could let her mother's behavior slide, but her brothers would be getting a hell of a lecture if she didn't see them soon.

"Whats got your panties in a bunch Candor?" Skylar's eyes snapped to Alec, who stood not too far from her with a small group of Dauntless who were focussing on the third jumper.

"Third jumper, Berkley!"

Alec's eyes glanced her up and down, she returned the gesture and smirked at him.

"Dauntless, not Candor," she corrected him. "And what does it matter to you?"

Alex laughed at her, "just making sure the cutest transfer wasn't looking for her boyfriend."

Skylar shook her head and paused as the crowd roared around them at the fourth jumper, "Maxum!"

She nodded at him, "Nope, no boyfriend here."

Alec smirked at her, "had to ask, you wouldn't be the first person to have transferred for love."

Skylar rolled her eyes. The fifth jumper landed in the net. "What about your girlfriend? The blonde who was dry humping you on the train?"

At that remark Alec busted out in a roaring laughter, earning a few curious smirks from the Dauntless men he'd been standing with."Candice? Trust me she is not, my girlfriend." From the way that he said it, it was clear that Alec wasn't very fond of the blonde.

Sure hadn't seemed like he had an issue with her when she was nearly riding him like a horse earlier.

The fifth jumper, Bronson, who Skylar recognized as one of Alec's friends from the roof and train bounced toward them and slapped Alec's shoulder. "My man! I am so glad that this day has finally come!"

The two spoke for a moment until the ninth jumper, Conrad, joined them.

"Finally!" Conrad shouldered both of his friends in greeting, then snapped his gaze immediately to Skylar. "Um, hi?" he said as he looked her up and down.

Alec introduced the two of them, Conrad folded his arms and stared at her with narrowed eyes. "You look familiar," he told her.

Bronson suggested she probably recognized her from school, but Conrad only shook his head and tilted his head.

"No, no, not that, I never paid much attention to girls in the other factions."

Conrad then smiled and winked at her, "would have been a waste of time considering how much fun Dauntless girls are." Alec laughed and called him a dog.

Skylar turned her attention back to the net, the next person falling, a Candor-born named Meckham.

She continued watching as the initiates fell into the net.

Conrad introduced to a couple more of their Dauntless-born friends as they joined them. Eleventh jumper; Desmond, twelfth jumper; Olivia, fifteenth jumper; Isaac, sixteenth jumper; Eliana.

"One of the guys upstairs said that there were only twenty-four of us this year, Desmond said to the group.

"Shit really? Didn't they estimate a lot more initiates than that?" Olivia pointed the question toward Alec, who nodded.

"Dad said that they were keeping twenty-five this year," he told the group quietly. Skylar leaned toward him to listen better; it was evident that Alec wasn't supposed to know this information. She wondered who he was to be privy to such knowledge.

"Do you think they will still cut people?" Isaac's voice was barely a whisper. Cut people? What did he mean by that?

Before Alec could answer Skylar, let out a small yelp as someone grabbed her from behind, covering her eyes. She grabbed the wrists tightly and squeezed, as she began to yank away and give whoever it was a piece of her mind, she heard a familiar chuckle that made her heart jump.

"Guess whooooo?" The deep voice said from behind her like she wouldn't recognize the voice of her brother.

Instead of removing herself from him she put her hands on her hips."Hi Jami."

Jamison turned her around and pulled her into a hug, squeezing so tightly she lost her breath.

Once he released her, he held her shoulders and squeezed them. She had to crane her neck to see into her twenty-year-old brother's face; he'd gotten much taller since she'd last seen him two years ago.

Her toothy smile matched his as she gazed into his familiar mischievous-filled forest green eyes. Minus the short dark hair and the fact that he was a hulking male and had a vividly colorful collection of tattoos coating his arms, there was no mistaking that they were siblings.

"You're finally here," he told her and pulled her into another hug. When he released her, she looked over his shoulder to find Perseus, her twenty-two-year-old brother standing with one of his friends. He looked nearly identical to Jamison, but his hair was shaggier and he wore a black log sleeved jacket, so she didn't know if he had any tattoos.

Skylar pushed Jamison playfully away from her and pulled Persues into a hug, who laughed with a toothy grin to match his siblings. "Hey troublemaker," he told her as she pulled away.

"Look at her Persi," Jamison said and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Our baby girl is all grown up."

Perseus only laughed at his brother and introduced Skylar to his friend, Zack, who gave her a flirtatious grin.

"Where is Lucas?" she asked her brothers.

Jamison answered with a dramatic eye roll. "He's over there." Skylar careened her neck to see where he'd nodded.

Lucas was the oldest of them all, having transferred seven years before her, he had just turned 25.

"He said that if he greets you too soon that it will draw too much attention to you. And since he works with leadership, well, he thought maybe it was best he give you space for your first few days." Perseus explained to her; she could tell from his voice he disapproved of the decision as he glanced at where Lucas was standing with Max and a few others Skylar didn't recognize.

Skylar wasn't surprised as he was working with leadership now, her oldest brother had always been the most serious of them all. She narrowed her eyes in his direction, she wouldn't let him get away with "giving her space." They were family, and she expected them to act like it now that they were all finally in the same faction again.

Lucas was a hulk compared to her other brothers, muscles lines his entire body. If she didn't know him so well, his appearance might very well have frightened her. But even he didn't compare to the man standing next to him.

Skylar could have sworn she could feel the mix of power and testosterone from across the room just looking at him.

The man was intimidating, to say the least. Standing as tall as her brother with the same manner but his glare could likely cut like a knife as she watched his gaze skim over the crowded room. His blonde hair was shaved on the sides and was gelled back on the top. His jaw was defined, his body muscular and slightly tanned, and a mix of black and white tattoos covered his arms, with a maze-like pattern ran in lines up his neck. Skylar decided that the man was the textbook definition of hot.

Suddenly, as if he could feel her gaze on him, his dark eyes snapped to hers, making her breath hitch.

Jamison put his arm around her shoulders. "That, baby sister, is Eric Coulter."

Skylar kept the man's gaze as Jamison kept his breath low enough so only she and Perseus could hear."And as you can clearly see, he is the most frightening and intimidating Dauntless in existence. Despite his terrible disposition and horrid reputation, he and Lucas are what we could call, well, best friends."

Perseus spoke up, keeping his voice quiet but Skylar was sure that the Dauntless-born initiates standing only feet from them could hear. "Don't be too scared of him Sky, he can be cruel, but he really isn't all that bad. Just, don't talk back and be on your best behavior around him."

Perseus had misinterpreted her lapse of breath for fear, but Jamison knew her better than that. He leaned in and whispered in her ear so that only she could hear him now. "Or you could be naughty so that he's forced to punish you."

Skylar laughed and him and was about to make a perverse joke before they were interrupted.

"Told you I recognized her, they're obviously related." Skylar turned her head to see it was Conrad who spoke. He was now standing with Alec and Desmond, the three of them has stepped away from their crowd of friends to join their conversation. Or eavesdrop, whatever.

"And if she's related to them, then she's related to Lucas." Conrad nodded toward her oldest brother. From the look on the boy's faces and their glances to once another. Skylar got the impression that Lucas was just as feared Jami and Persi swore Eric was.

"Awwwwwwww, so sweet! My baby sister is already making friends!" Jamison teased her with a voice imitating what could have sounded like an overbearing mother speaking to a child.

He continued speaking while keeping his arm around her shoulder, his voice turning serious. "Or are they your next victims? She's a real heartbreaker, this one."

Jamison winked at the boys while Perseus and Zack both laughed.

Skylar shrugged her brother off of her, pretending to be annoyed but her face still held a grin.

"Um, you may know of them. They're Dauntless-born," she motioned to their clothing."That one is Alex, that one is Connor, and that one is Dexter." She motioned to each one as she spoke, her grin growing on her face when a mix of annoyance and horror reached the boy's faces.

"Alec," "Conrad," "Desmond," each boy corrected her at the same time.

Persues chuckled, "she knows your real names boys, she's only teasing you."

Jamison tilted his head toward his sister, "or testing, whichever word you prefer."

"Well, you can call me whatever you'd like." This time it was just Alec who spoke, who smiled and raised his eyebrows. Conrad and Desmond both shifted slightly next to him when Persues frowned and narrowed his eyes at the boy.

Jamison's reaction was that of humor as he folded his arms. His gaze was even more mischievous than before as he spoke to Alec, "you're Jacobsen's son, aren't you?"

Whoever Jacobsen was, he was clearly important because Alec stood straighter than before and nodded to Jamison.

"Yes, I am." He reached out to shake her brother's hand, but Jamison just stared at it before taking a step toward him.

"Well, Alec, Jacobsen." His voice was deadly serious now, but it didn't seem to faze Alec in the slightest. Jamison stared at him for a moment.

"Good luck with this one," Jamison laughed to show that he was only trying to tease him and shook the boy's hand. "Wish I could say that she is all bark, but she just loves to bite too."

The crowd cheered around them as the last jumper, number twenty-four, fell into the net with a high-pitched scream.

Skylar looked over Alec's shoulder, "Oh look, your girlfriend is here."

Jamison let out a jokingly disappointed scoff from next to her, "well there goes all my fun."

Alec didn't turn to see the shaky Candice be pulled from the net as he responded. "I told you she isn't my-,"

Skylar raised her hand to stop him. "Isn't your girlfriend, right, got it, Alex."

Jamison laughed beside her, so she turned and she pushed him and Persues toward their older brother.

"Sky," Persues spoke from behind her.

"Skylar."She ignored her brother's protests as she stopped pushing Jamison to the side of her and made a bee-line to her destination.

There was no point in Lucas keeping his distance now that the Dauntless-born would know her relationship to him. She was more than tough enough to make it through initiation without anyone accusing her of favoritism.

Like her brothers, she had known since she was a kid she was made for Dauntless and had been training for years.

As they neared the small group standing with her brother, multiple heads snapped in their direction. Other than Max and Eric, Skylar assumed the rest of them were all supervisors or those who worked relatively close to the leaders.

She refused to let their intimidating presence get to her; she was a Smith goddamnit, and Smiths got what they wanted. And what she wanted was a hug from her oldest brother.

Jamison and Persues both chuckled from behind her as she stopped right in front of her oldest brother and put a hand on her hip, the other pointed directly at his chest. The men around them grew silent; a few looked amused as they watched her speak to him.

"Lucas. Anderson. Smith." She paused for dramatic effect and huffed. "You do not get to use some bullshit idea, of not showing favoritism toward me, as an excuse for you to not greet me the second that I stepped off of that net!"

Skylar tilted her head up and glared into his green eyes, which shone with amusement. "You're officially, my least favorite brother," she told him smoothly.

"Damn it," Persues cursed angrily under his breath from behind her.

"Guess you lost that bet, little brother," Lucas said gruffly as he pulled Skylar into a gentle hug.

Bet?

"Perci says you don't rank your love for us, but I know I'm your favorite," Jamison said to his siblings confidently, earning a light scoff from Persues.

Lucas released her and folded his arms once again, and she stepped back so she could see the entire circle of men around her.

"Wait, Skylar is a girl?" One of the men standing a few feet from their small group said.

Skylar knew shock showed on her face since the short man continued. "I only assumed, I mean they talk about you sometimes. But the other day when they were joking that they weren't sure if Dauntless could handle another Smith, I assumed they meant another brother. You just sounded so, um.."

Skylar finished his sentence for him, "manly?" The man shook his head.

"Like a tough son-of-a-bitch, right Bradley? Rather than a tough bitch?" Jamison finished from behind her.

Lucas chuckled as he changed the subject."You've grown up a lot since I last saw you, Skylar. When was that, Jami's visitation day?" Lucas voice oozed confidence.

"I know right," Jami said as he leaned his elbow on her shoulder and held his chin with his hand. "Our baby Sky-Sky is all grown up. Although-,"

Jamison sighed dramatically and looked as if he were to continue, but his attention was grabbed by a very attractive redhead across the room. She was walking briskly with Four toward the man who had let the initiates off the net. Skylar recognized her from the roof and realized there must have been another entrance for them to take.

Skylar and her brother both craned their necks to see around the man standing next to Eric to watch the girl's hips sway as she approached the net.

She let out a quiet whistle, "who, is, that?" she asked Jamison, trying to keep her voice quiet. Too bad the group had turned their attention to what the two siblings had been staring at and were now listening intently.

"Bethany. Good looking, huh?" Jamison said and leaned back on the elbow he still had rested next to her neck."Don't bother; unlike some people we know who like to switch between sexes, she is very, very straight."

Skylar smirked at him, "I bet I could make her reconsider, maybe even make her religious," she joked, earning her a disgusted moan from Perseus.

"Ah, I get you, make her say your name, and Gods, in same the moan, or give her a divine revelation?" Jamison nodded as him and his sister stared at Bethany's backside. She was now offering them quite the view, standing with her hands on her hips talking emotionally to a group of friends.

"Don't need an anaconda to show her how to properly eat forbidden fruit," Skylar retorted, earning another chuckle from a few people around them and another response from Jamison.

"Or show her how to properly part the red sea?"

At that Skylar began to laugh again at seeing that Lucas was now shaking his head at the two of them.

A few of the men around them listened with expressions of mixed amusement and shock.

"Oh, that's a good one! how about, make her get down on her knees and confess her sins?" Skylar turned to him with a giggle. She felt her cheeks reddening.

"I remember now why mom never let you two sit together at the dinner table," Lucas said in a monotone voice.

"Ah yes," Perseus nodded as he expressed his agreement, "even after growing up in Candor it still amazes me that the two of you can be so perverse around each other."

"You two are just jealous because, as we already established, I'm her favorite," Jamison rolled his eyes and waved his hand dramatically.

Skylar laughed and took the opportunity to jump on the subject she'd been thinking about for weeks. "Speaking of dinner; starting this week, we are officially reinstating Smith-Sunday dinner gatherings. No arguing."

At that, each of the brothers began talking at once.

"Fine, but you're doing all of the cooking," Lucas told her.

"Or we could get something from the cafeteria?" Jamison chimed in.

"And whose apartment will this be taking place in?" Perseus asked them all.

"Not mine," Lucas snapped, "last time I had you two fuckheads over you made a mess."

"Maybell would have an aneurysm if we did it at mine," Jamison told them.

Jami looked at Skylar's lifted brow. "roommates girlfriend, not mine."He elbowed Skylar softly, then winked "I'm saving myself for marriage remember."

This comment earned a loud round of laughter from every person around them, even a smile from Eric and Lucas.

Jamison only chuckled to himself, "Nah but really, she's a real bitch. But, she has massive tits and walks around basically naked all the time, so I usually to let it slide."

"You know we may have to alternate weeknights, not just stick to Sundays," Lucas told them with narrowed eyes.

Skylar glared at him.

"I have a busy schedule," her oldest brother said flatly.

Skylar scoffed again, "Sunday nights, no arguments, this is about tradition!"

"That tradition ended a long time ago baby sister," Lucas told her.

"Lucas you have the biggest apartment of all of us! I'm sure that girl you've been seeing, Melissa, Meranda, whatever her name is, can stand to give you up for one fucking night a week," Perseus spoke up.

"It isn't that! I just don't trust you not to make a-" Lucas was interrupted.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you that we didn't make that mess Luke!" Perseus snapped.

"Seriously bro that was the Hitchcock twins and that dumbass friend of theirs, we both left that party early with our dates." Jamison defense earned him a seething glare from Lucas.

"I don't give a flying fuck-" Lucas began to respond again, but Skylar interrupted him, earning her a fierce glare.

"Seriously?" Skylar paused and glanced between them.

Her eyes landed on Eric's for a moment, who was smirking at his supposed best friend.

"Once I have my apartment we can do it there, but that won't is until I'm through initiation." There was no response this time as the brothers glared at one another. Skylar had forgotten the bastards were just as stubborn as her.

"What about your place Eric?" She'd intended for it to come out as a joke but had apparently sounded serious since Eric's smirk disappeared and his head snapped in her brothers and a few of the men standing near them following suit.

"What? You're supposedly his best friend, right? In the Smith family that means your family, so you'll likely be invited anyways." She explained.

Skylar had only hoped that one of her brothers would offer their place up immediately upon seeing that she was stirring up trouble.

She was gifted with an unlucky silence instead.

"Um," Persues began to speak but stopped upon looking at Eric's menacing glare.

Skylar tried her best not to look intimidated but gulped, maybe her brothers were right in saying she should behave herself around him. He was a leader, after all.

"Well, if that's the case then my place is up for grabs too," Zack spoke up from behind her. He pushed his way between Persues and Lucas and put his arm around Perseus's shoulder.

"I'm his best friend, so that means I'm family. I'll even help you cook, maybe even teach you a few things. Inside the kitchen, and out," he suggested flirtatiously and waggled his eyebrows.

"Dude that's my sister," Persues tossed his friend's arm off of him.

"I'm only joking," Zack said and winked at Skylar. He clearly wasn't.

Her brother pointed at Zack jokingly as he stepped between his view of her, "don't be spreading rumors you and I are best friends, I barely tolerate you."

"Skylar," Lucas snapped suddenly. He had returned to a brooding stance much like Eric's, arms folded and glare plastered to his face once more.

"Go follow Four, you have training to worry about now," he nodded in the direction the group that was now getting ready to follow Four and Lauren out of the large room.

Skylar raised both of her eyebrows to Jamison who was looking at her with a smirk on his face.

"Try not to cause too much more trouble Sky-Sky." Jami drawled the words as he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her in the right direction.

As he lightly pushed her away from the leaders, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"Looks like you almost got your wish. Eric was looking at you like he wants to bend you over and spank you in front of the entire room." With that, he smacked her ass, earning her a yelp.

Jami pushed her forward a bit harder as she turned around to throw a punch at him for slapping her ass, but he was too quick, so he dodged it quickly.

"Naughty naughty, little Sky," he waggled a finger at her and laughed.

Skylar only huffed in response as he waved her away.

Before turning away from him, she made the mistake of catching Eric's eyes one again.

Unfortunately, the leader's dark gaze did not seem to insinuate that he wanted to punish her in the way Jamison had recommended, but that he wanted to skin her alive and cook her over a roasting fire.

Skylar walked toward her fellow initiates as quickly as she could without people taking notice, hoping that she would see little of the leaders during her Initiation.

The last thing she needed was to piss the wrong person off; perhaps listening to Perseus's warning to stay away from Eric Coulter was best.